Manacle – No Fear To Persevere Review
In 2016, Canada’s Manacle self-released a preview of their first full-length, appropriately titled Preview. Now, two years later, they’re finally dropping that full-length on Hard And Heavy Records, and it turns out that Preview was …
Battleroar – Codex Epicus Review
At the intersection of Blind Guardian and Manilla Road lies Greece’s Battleroar—epic paeans to battle and heroes, historical tales of Ye Olden Days, infectious guitar leads, soaring melodies, bombastic choirs… Codex Epicus is the band’s …
Lizzy Borden – My Midnight Things Review
I’m an old fart now—I remember the late 1980s. I remember running across Lizzy Borden when they were featured in Penelope Spheeris’ classic The Decline Of Western Civilization, Part 2: The Metal Years, prancing about …
Ribspreader – The Van Murders Part 2 Review
Axl Rose famously took a decade to complete Guns N’ Roses’ comeback album, Chinese Democracy. By contrast, in the first six full months of 2018, Rogga Johansson will have released five full-length albums… and an …
Vhäldemar – Shadows Of Combat (Reissue) Review
Do you like Grave Digger and Helloween? I like Grave Digger and Helloween. Do you know who else likes Grave Digger and Helloween? Vhäldemar likes Grave Digger and Helloween. This fourth album from these Teutonic-toned …
Ghost – Prequelle Review
At heart, rock ‘n’ roll has always been theater. It’s performance, on-stage and under the lights; it’s exorcism and exhibition, a transference of raw emotion from performer to audience through words and action. It’s why …
Human Cull – Revenant Review
Eighteen songs in eighteen minutes. There’s a balance in that, a certain perfect economy. No time for funny business, so give none; no time for prisoners, so take none. Get in; kick ass; get out. …
Knelt Rote – Alterity Review
FAST RITES: because sometimes brevity is fundamental. Knelt Rote isn’t much for subtlety. Or variation. This Portland-based trio began as a grinding noisecore outfit, but by the time of 2012’s Trespass, they’d left that behind …